1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a kit for use with a camera to imprint indicia on a film unit when it is exposed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For various reasons it is often desirable for the owner to be able to identify the source of photographs. The "source" in this context may mean the location where the photograph was taken, the person taking the photograph, the owner, or the commercial entity supplying the photograph.
A specific example of why a photograph might be labeled with the indica of the supplier is in commercial real estate. A potential buyer or lessee may be working with a plurality of real estate personnel from diverse real estate agencies. The customer might have a plurality of photographs of suitable locations from each of the various realtors. However, after a period of time the customer may forget which realtor supplied him with a given photograph. This could create problems for both the real estate agent and the customer in formalizing a final arrangement. Where the source is identified on the photograph the problem will not exist.
Numerous other problems of this kind are apparent to any casual observer of commercial or artistic representations made by photographs. Accordingly, there is a need to label the individual photographs with names or other indicia at the time the photographs are presented for consideration. Obviously, this can be done by stick-on labels, writing on the back of the photograph or other means, but these are time consuming, inconvenient and often forgotten.
The need is to have an automatic identification logo printed directly on the face of the photograph at the time the film unit is exposed and that has been done. An example is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,930 which discloses mounting a template to overlie the dark slide of a film pack inside a camera. The only internal change in structure is the overlying template. The template itself is transparent with opaque indicia. Thereby it screens one part of the underlying film unit from light entering the lens while exposing the remainder of the film unit. The patent discloses an additional structural unit, external of the camera, which is mounted in front of a source of artificial illumination and channels light in a particular way into the camera. Its purpose is to modify the background portion of the photograph surrounding the object to be photographed.
Another manner for providing a film edge logo, copyright notice, or other desired indicia is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,493 which provides a template overlying the film unit and a light path which directs light around a conventional dark slide before it impinges on the template. The template itself is a slide which is secured to a film holder and the ambient light bypasses the dark slide to expose a specific area along one edge of the film unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,176 discloses a kit comprised of a template for imprinting indicia on an instant film unit and a reflector mounted in the field of view of the camera's lens for directing a portion of the light from a flash unit back into the camera's lens.
A problem which exists with a structure using an indicia bearing template is that the opaque portion of the template blocks a part of the underlying film unit and that creates a dark or unexposed section in the resulting photograph. In order for the indicia to be visible within this dark section it is necessary to expose (or overexpose) that portion of the film unit by using light passing through the lens at the time of the opening of the shutter. Where the portion of the film unit recording the reflected light from the subject being photographed is from an area which is itself dark, e.g., black street pavement, the intensity of the image light which penetrates the transparent indicia of the template may be too low. As a result, the indicia in the photograph may not contrast well with the surrounding background and may be unintelligible.
What is needed is a mechanism for insuring that adequate light passes through the lens to properly expose the template area and insure that the indicia is recorded on the film unit with sufficient contrast vis-a-vis the non-exposed area of the film unit.